Lorazepam

[Carys]

I can't find the right place for lorazepam...so hope this is ok on this page.

For the last 2 1/2 weeks I've been taking a little lorazepam on PRN basis. It has been only at night before sleeping. The most I took was just over 0.5 mg, most night 0.5 mg and the last few nights 0.25 mg. Last night I fell asleep and actually even forgot to take it /didn't need it.

Now today, after reading the leaflet, I see that it says you need to taper off lorazepam.However, online, some say it depends on how long you were on the dose, how 'addicted' you were (Im guessing perhaps not hugely so in my case as I fell asleep without it?!) and how high the dose. Clearly the dose was very small, it wasn't a long period of time either.

I'm not sat here wondering if I'm about to have some sort of 'odd reaction' to the lack of taking it (even though I felt totally fine before I knew of the tapering off fact...no sweating or racing heart etc LOL) Should I take an even weenier amount tonight....or am I ok leaving it as I am ?

I realise nobody can give medical advice, but wondering if anyone else has done something similar and has any thoughts. I can ring the pharmascist of course, but the GP gave no advice on needing to taper on the 10 tablets that were provided.

[Benjammin69]

I can't find the right place for lorazepam...so hope this is ok on this page.

For the last 2 1/2 weeks I've been taking a little lorazepam on PRN basis. It has been only at night before sleeping. The most I took was just over 0.5 mg, most night 0.5 mg and the last few nights 0.25 mg. Last night I fell asleep and actually even forgot to take it /didn't need it.

Now today, after reading the leaflet, I see that it says you need to taper off lorazepam.However, online, some say it depends on how long you were on the dose, how 'addicted' you were (Im guessing perhaps not hugely so in my case as I fell asleep without it?!) and how high the dose. Clearly the dose was very small, it wasn't a long period of time either.

I'm not sat here wondering if I'm about to have some sort of 'odd reaction' to the lack of taking it (even though I felt totally fine before I knew of the tapering off fact...no sweating or racing heart etc LOL) Should I take an even weenier amount tonight....or am I ok leaving it as I am ?

I realise nobody can give medical advice, but wondering if anyone else has done something similar and has any thoughts. I can ring the pharmascist of course, but the GP gave no advice on needing to taper on the 10 tablets that were provided.

Hi so you only took 10 tablets? You will not need to taper on 10 tablets. I am a regular benzo user ( as prescribed by my psychiatrist) and I take them when I feel I need them and some days ain’t take them at all. I never use them for sleep mainly for work presentation or when my depression is high and I need a mental break... I’ve been taking klonopin 3 times. Week for about 3 months .. and I can just stop so don’t stress too much. You shouldn’t have any withdrawals but you may feel a bit more anxious as the lorazepam will of reduced your anxiety to a manageable level so once removed your anxiety will come back - this is not withdrawals this is your existing condition.


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[Carys]

I've just looked, it was 12 tablets in total I think, as I say split into different amounts each night depending on what I needed to just get to sleep. Thanks for your response, and thoughts, they are appreciated. I felt pretty good this morning, and was delighted I'd slept without any at all...... until I read the whole 'tapering thing' and people giving horror stories about potential convulsions. I was unsure if becuase I had used a little everynight that made it more of a problem than sporadic useage. What you are saying though is that most people, at this dose and lenght of use would be ok. Rightho. Off to the garden weeding

[Benjammin69]

I've just looked, it was 12 tablets in total I think, as I say split into different amounts each night depending on what I needed to just get to sleep. Thanks for your response, and thoughts, they are appreciated. I felt pretty good this morning, and was delighted I'd slept without any at all...... until I read the whole 'tapering thing' and people giving horror stories about potential convulsions. I was unsure if becuase I had used a little everynight that made it more of a problem than sporadic useage. What you are saying though is that most people, at this dose and lenght of use would be ok. Rightho. Off to the garden weeding

Yeah try not to read the horror stories the internet is full of them about seizures etc you are not going to have a seizure on stopping lorazepam 0.5mg x 12 a day trust me! I have taken diazepam 10mg for months not daily but weekly and taken long breaks too so don’t worry honestly it’s not worth it your be fine.


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[Carys]

Thank you for taking the time to reply, much appreciated !

[MyNameIsTerry]

Ben is right.

I think the PIL just means to act as a disclaimer. Unless you become dependant you don't need to taper off.

Forget about the horror stories, that's for those dependant. Some of those people will have been on years and gone through all sorts of things like benzo changes or even their own anxiety. They risk rebound anxiety if they cold turkey. The seizures are a potential issue for them coming off cold turkey.

---------- Post added at 02:47 ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 ----------

Just had a look a couple of PIL's on the MHRA website and they say this:

On stopping lorazepam, you may experience symptoms such as headaches, muscle pain, anxiety, tension, depression, restlessness, sweating, confusion or irritability. Your original sleeplessness may also return. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, ask your doctor for advice.

That could be interpreted as anywhere between taking one tablet ever to taking them for 30+ years.

[Carys]

Thanks everso Terry, I view you as our resident expert on meds LOL I know you are self-taught, but you know much more about half-lives and chemicals than I could ever know. So, basically, if I fell asleep without it one night then that is a sign of non-dependency? Sadly, last night, not so good and needed a 1/4 to sleep.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hah! You should have spoken to Ian, I doubt I know 1% of what he did/does! Ben will know what I mean. Thanks for the kind words

Sleep is a complex one and it can be the underlying problem rather than the drug. When I came off Zopiclone (after about a month of nightly use) I couldn't sleep at all initially because it had messed me up because I should have never have been on them so long. But with benzo's dependence can mean rebound when you remove them without tapers which brings greater anxiety than was there before starting them.

If you were dependent you would need to take the same doses to just achieve the current effect and it would gradually mean increasing them as the dose becomes worthless. Then when you reduce the dose you can greatly struggle because your body needs it.

You said earlier:

For the last 2 1/2 weeks I've been taking a little lorazepam on PRN basis. It has been only at night before sleeping. The most I took was just over 0.5 mg, most night 0.5 mg and the last few nights 0.25 mg. Last night I fell asleep and actually even forgot to take it /didn't need it.

You wouldn't have the above experience if you had become tolerant, you would need to maintain doses otherwise would be struggling and going a day without would be a cold turkey.

The trouble with sleep, as I'm sure you know, is that if you worry about it you won't sleep. So, last night might have been about that.

[Carys]

So so right Terry, its all 'the worry' about the sleeping isn't it - or lack of it. Last night took like a fragment of the lorazepam - much less than 0.25 mg and slept 7 hours (with a couple of wake ups, but went back to sleep). So, I reckon you are right, I'm neither tolerant or dependent.

Anyhow, had some good news today, 2nd year mammogram results - CLEAR

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sleep can become a massive focus. When I relapsed it was 10 days of waking hours early for work, and I would only plan 6 max anyway as I always did before, and feeling the anxiety whilst trying to get back to sleep and then more anxiety over how rubbish I would feel and how would I cope. That tipped me over the edge and I finally went off work.

An issue made so large becomes an anxiety issue of it's own to resolve as I had built up new fears about it. Years I managed to properly sort this out so that I can happily cope of a couple of hours sleep if it comes to it. Prior to this my old patterns would pop up.

With sleep it helps to stop giving it importance, other than sleep hygiene adjustments and don't make them obsessive either. Stop caring about it. Then you just start sleeping. It's just like with intrusive thoughts or panic, you make it worse reacting to it.

7 hours seems good. I used to get anxious over changes in volume but you learn you body will force you to sleep when it needs it.

Exercise is good for sleep. Various studies in healthy people who regularly exercise have shown it helps deepen their sleep. It's obvious it will help us with the adrenaline issues we have. It's just hard for those suffering fatigue. I remember CrystalHiggs on here had threads about this and cycling sorted much of hers out.

Great news on your results! It must be normal to worry as that test approaches but a massive woo hoo on results day!!!